Sunday, October 17, 2010

An existential question

I was watching a vet show on TV, where wildlife vets try their utmost to save (mostly) sick/unfortunate animals. On today's show there was this sea snake that was washed ashore and a fruit bat caught in a barbed fence. (There was also a much-loved, obese pet crocodile, but we won't go into that.)

Anyway, obviously these animals were in pain and under stress. Obviously they did not understand what's happening to them, other than to rely on that age-old instinct of self-preservation. And the vets tried to be as gentle as they possibly could, and murmured little reassurances to the animals, hoping to calm them down, hoping to somehow convey to the animals that, hey, we're here to help.

Let's just suppose, for one second, that there are other beings out there (i.e. aliens). And let's just suppose, for one second, that you are seriously injured and hurt, and one of them found you. After an initial struggle, as far as your injury allowed you to, you start to think that maybe, just maybe, the aliens do not wish to harm you and instead mean to help you. Just suppose.

Would you let them? Would you believe them? And let's just suppose they do something to you that is the alien equivalent of the human x-ray or the human injection of antibiotics - would you believe they were for your own good, and that, really, actually, the aliens have done nothing to you but help your body get better? And then when you grew stronger and they released you back to your natural habitat (i.e. Earth), would you have been set free or would you be a captive of your own mistrust and paranoia? And in the future, if you were to encounter a similar creature, would you consider them friends?

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